Achieving 100% Daytime Solar and $10M+ Annual Savings

Challenge

Located in Taos, New Mexico, Kit Carson Electric Cooperative (KCEC) strives to provide members with reliable electricity, affordable rates, environmental sustainability and local economic development.

KCEC came to Camus Energy with a simple, yet ambitious goal to achieve 100% daytime solar by 2022. By thoughtfully increasing its use of local solar, KCEC could reduce the cost of electricity, bolster consumer choice and equity, and support grid reliability.

In order to reach their goal of 100% daytime solar, KCEC planned to dramatically increase procurement of renewable energy from ~10 to 38 megawatts (MW) of solar capacity and from 0 to 30 MWh of battery storage.

Without improvements to grid visibility, rapidly integrating so much new renewable capacity would pose a major challenge for KCEC’s operations team. The cooperative’s CEO, Luis A. Reyes, Jr., and leadership team selected Camus to provide advanced situational awareness and control through its software platform.

Solution and Approach

Camus Energy’s grid management platform gave KCEC an integrated system view that leverages existing data sources for real-time analysis. This allows the KCEC team to understand power flows both in front of and behind-the-meter while using third-party telemetry to build a complete picture of current and near-future grid conditions.

Integrating disparate data sources to support real-time operations is often a daunting task for utilities. Camus Energy takes a step by step approach that saves money and enhances grid reliability:

• Collect and consolidate data from across multiple data sources and systems
• Forecast current and future conditions with real-time analytics and forecasting
• Evaluate impact of changes on the network, such as feeder voltage and substations conditions

"Camus’ platform gives us the ability to change when our members want change.” - Luis A. Reyes, Jr., CEO, Kit Carson Electric Cooperative

Result: $10M+ Annual Savings and Better Grid Visibility

KCEC reached its 100% daytime solar goal in the summer of 2022. By doing so, the cooperative has reduced its energy supply costs from 9.5 to 4.5 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), providing $10 million in annual savings. 

Beyond cost savings, KCEC is able to help Taos and surrounding communities reach renewable energy goals, decarbonize more quickly, and support local economic development. Revenue from local solar systems directly benefits the community, rather than out-of-state generators.

Value from Camus

Through the new software platform, KCEC is able to leverage cloud-computing to reap benefits that were previously unattainable to utilities of its size.

• Real-time view of supply and demand
• Cloud-hosted analysis engine that scales to fit evolving needs
• Robust cybersecurity using a “Zero Trust Model”
• Low-touch assessment and tracking of zero-carbon goals

Now that KCEC is well underway to achieving its daytime solar goal, work continues to pave the way for a fully decarbonized grid including serving new, dynamic loads like electric vehicles.